Husband chef

My husband is too good to me. I've been stressed and worn out the last few weeks working all day and then training at my second job at night. Plus I'm trying to change the way I eat and it's just so...tiring. Tyler volunteered to make dinner tonight plus he's been cooking for himself when I'm not here in the evenings. It's a fantastic arrangement :)

Tonight's dinner was pretty easy. We tried another recipe from Heather's Core blog and were very happy with it. I love me some mushrooms! And of course mashed potatoes, I can never have enough mashed potatoes. I could make them (and eat them) in my sleep at this point :) So glad they are a Core food!

Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

2 tsp canola oil
3 TBS balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 lb uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast (four 4-oz pieces)
2 c mushrooms, small, halved
1/3 c chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

Heat 1 tsp oil in a nonstick skillet. In a medium bowl, mix 2 TBS vinegar, the mustard, and the garlic. Add chicken and turn to coat.

Transfer chicken and marinade to skillet. Saute chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm (We seem to be incapable of getting chicken to cook all the way through in a skillet, so we stuck it in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees after cooking it for 3 minutes on each side on the stove top).

Heat remaining tsp of oil in skillet. Saute mushrooms for 1 minute. Add broth, thyme and remaining TBS of vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are deep brown, about 2 minutes longer.

Serve chicken topped with mushrooms.

Serves 4 (each serving contains 1/2 tsp healthy oil)

Celebrate Chili Season!

Tyler was nice enough to whip up this batch of white chicken chili while I made the beef and bean chili tonight. Honestly I'm not sure where I got the original recipe and it's driving me nuts. If you know please jog my memory! I just have a copy of it that I printed out ages ago, probably off an old email account so I can't really trace the origins! Actually it looks like a photocopy...omg I'm going to drive myself crazy. Here's the recipe!



White Bean Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 tsp chopped garlic
1-2 cups chopped chicken breasts
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 cube chicken bouillon
15 oz can white beans
1 pkg taco seasoning (we were out so we used this recipe instead)

Saute onion in olive oil. Add garlic, chicken, and 1/2 tsp taco seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add canned tomatoes (can be run through the food processor to chop into smaller pieces if desired), chicken bouillon cube, rest of taco seasoning and if necessary some water if too thick. Simmer and then eat! Serve with tortilla chips or tortillas, cheese, sour cream, whatever you like! Tyler adds Tabasco sauce because he loves more heat.

I believe this recipe is WW core friendly.

I'm still here!

Sorry for the post-less week, I haven't really been cooking much. Mostly because I was eating out or making some of my favorite guilty pleasures before I started back on Weight Watchers this week :) Real smart, huh? We had sushi, cheese dip, potstickers, Chipotle, chick-fil-a....ahh such food debauchery. Now I am back on the wagon and back in the kitchen. We are following the Weight Watchers Core plan, which so far I am loving. So brace yourselves for healthier recipes! One of my greatest discoveries was this food blog. Thank you Heather for sharing so many great Core recipes with those of us that have no clue what to make! She is my new food blog goddess.

This meal was so quick to whip up and tasted great. LOVED the guacamole sauce. I will definitely be using that recipe for many other dishes. It'd be great on fajitas! The chicken was a little sweet, which makes sense since there was brown sugar in it, I might cut back on the sugar and increase the spices next time. I served the chicken with corn and a side of black beans simmered in lime juice, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Should have thrown some cilantro in but I spaced it. It feels good to be cooking and eating well again!

Cumin-dusted Chicken Breasts with guacamole sauce


Sauce:
1/4 c finely chopped green onions
1/4 c finely chopped cilantro
1/4 c fat-free sour cream
2 TBS fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 ripe peeled avocado, seeded and coarsely mashed

Chicken:
2 TBS brown sugar (not Core, but 0 WPAs per serving of this recipe)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray

To prepare sauce, combine first 8 ingredients; set aside. Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare chicken, combine sugar, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper; sprinkle evenly over chicken. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over. Place pan in oven; bake at 400° for 10-20 minutes or until done. Serve chicken with sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half and about 3 tablespoons sauce)

Update #2

I'm gonna keep going with the updates today! Here is my second ode to Amber and her delicious recipes! I know this has been getting raves from many food bloggers. It is absolutely rave worthy! Check out the original recipe here, I'm posting it with my changes.



Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta (Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken broth
1.5 tbls lime juice
1 tbls corn starch
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried parsley
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
1 tbls butter
Few drizzles of olive oil
8 oz pasta (I used Barilla Plus penne)
1-2 cups broccoli florets (I used frozen broccoli florets, thawed them before cooking them)
Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:
1) Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of pasta cook time add the broccoli into the boiling water. Drain.
2) Mix together all the sauce ingredients (chicken broth through parsley) and set aside.
3) Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add bite size chicken pieces into heated pan. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan with the chicken and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
4) Toss cooked broccoli and pasta with the chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

Two new recipes

I'm really pushing myself to try new recipes. Not necessarily "out there" recipes of things I never thought I'd try, but some new stuff. Tonight I made orzo for the first time and I broiled something for the first time. Also made my own dressing for the first time...I think. I don't remember ever making salad dressing before so I'm pretty sure this was a first. It got the blender dirty, I hate cleaning that thing, good thing Tyler has to do the dishes tonight ;)



Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (adapted from Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger)

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry sherry (did not have, so left out)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press or minced
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 pounds skinless chicken thighs (I used boneless, skinless thighs)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Combine the soy sauce, sugar, sherry, vinegar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and stir until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and add the chicken. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning once, for 1 hour. The chicken can be marinated for up to 4 hours. I only marinated for an hour, wish I had done it for longer though.

Heat the broiler to high. Arrange the chicken on a broiler pan skin side down and broil until brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip the chicken and broil until almost cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cook until the seeds turn golden brown and the chicken is done, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Orzo Salad (adapted from Everyday Italian with Giada de Laurentis)

4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved (I used grape tomatoes)
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (did not have so I omitted this ingredient)
About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.


Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat, be careful not to use too much like I did (I dumped it all in instead of measuring out 3/4 of a cup)! I found that the recipe made more dressing than needed. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.



I'll definitely make both of these recipes again, I'll just make sure to marinate the chicken for a few hours and go easy on the dressing for the orzo salad! Overall trying new recipes and new cooking techniques paid off!

The Great American Meal

Mmm fried chicken. Can't say I've had the real thing within the last year, but the oven fried stuff is very tasty, so tasty I *almost* don't miss the real thing :) This is not the healthiest recipe, I think next time I want ranch flavored chicken I can make a "light" version, but this was a great splurge. I served it with mashed potatoes, a dish that I am constantly playing around with (should have made a veggie too but I was in a hurry and Tyler wasn't around to remind me to eat my veggies). There are so many great versions of mashed potatoes, it's hard to make the same kind twice. Experimenting is just so much fun :) I got the chicken recipe from the lovely Joelyn and reduced it from her party-size portion, check out her blog if you haven't already, she makes some great stuff!

Oven Fried Chicken

marinade:
6 pieces of chicken - thighs & drumsticks (I used boneless skinless chicken breasts since we are trying to eat through our freezer)
1/2 bottle of prepared ranch salad dressing
1/4 small jar mayonnaise
1/4 can evaporated milk

coating:
1/4 box of wheat or corn flakes, crushed
1 cup tempura flour (didn't have so I omitted this)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 dry packet ranch dressing

Place chicken in a large container to marinate.
In a separate bowl, combine the ranch dressing, mayo and milk.
Pour marinade over chicken to coat.
Marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine coating ingredients in a shallow pan.
Dredge marinated chicken in coating mixture.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet.
Spray tops of chicken with cooking spray to add color.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or when done.
Allow chicken to sit for a few minutes before serving.
Good warm or cold and can be reheated well.

Mashed Red Potatoes (recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes. Drain, and place in a large bowl.

Combine potatoes with butter, milk, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Mash together until smooth and creamy.

A favorite standby

This is one of my favorite meals to make because everything mixes up quickly and you can bake them all at the same time. So outside of baking the potatoes the meal takes less than 45 minutes start to finish (with a little help from Tyler trimming the fat off the chicken!) The first two recipes are taken from the Betty Crocker Cooking Basics cookbook which I totally love. This is one of the first meals I learned how to make. I highly recommend that cookbook if you are just starting out. There are tons of helpful tips and a picture for every recipe. Plus it's Betty Crocker, you can't go wrong with Ol Betty.



Parmesan Dijon Chicken

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts, cut in half.
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 T melted butter
2 T dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix melted butter and dijon mustard in a large bowl or flat dish. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a large ziploc bag.
3. Dip the chicken into the butter/mustard mix making sure to thorougly coat it. Then toss into the bag and coat with crumb mixture. Place chicken in single layer in an ungreased rectangular pan.
4. Bake uncovered 30 minutes, making sure to flip the chicken over halfway through baking. Chicken is done when juice is no longer pink when you cut into the center of the thickest piece.


Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed clean.
2 large spoonfuls sour cream
2 T butter
dash salt and pepper
2 T milk
1 cup colby jack or mexican blend shredded cheese.

Directions:
Poke holes in potatoes and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour.
Let potatoes cool, then cut in half and scoop out the potato, place skins on baking sheet to be refilled.
Mix potato, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper on medium speed. Add in milk until the mixture becomes smooth.
Spoon potato mixture into skins, top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and squeezed dried
1 cup stuffing mix
3 T melted butter
6 oz can creamed corn
dash of salt and pepper
1 egg

Directions:
Mix butter and stuffing mix together until moistened. In a separate bowl mix egg, creamed corn, broccoli, and salt and pepper. Add in stuffing mix and then pour it all into an 8x8 greased pan, bake for 35 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

Tyler was kind enough to whip up dinner tonight (well I did the sides, he made the chicken). This recipe has received raves so we thought we'd give it a try. It is Giada's recipe for chicken drumettes but we used chicken breasts instead. We did not have sesame seeds on hand or the fresh herbs so we used the dried stuff, it would be even better with all the ingredients! This was a great chicken dish, we will definitely make it again.



Balsamic Chicken (made by Tyler)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
5 sprigs of rosemary
5 garlic cloves, halved
10 to 12 chicken drumsticks
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsleyCombine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves, in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar. Add the chicken drumsticks to the bag and seal with as little air as possible in the bag. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the chicken drumsticks on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken. Place the chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the chopped parsley.

Easy Italian

Mmm I love this dish! It takes less than 40 minutes including prep time and cook time. I served it over rotini with some garlic cheese rolls I threw together. This is an allrecipes.com recipe that I have tweaked to my liking.




Tomato Chicken Parmesan (made by Julia)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 ounces seasoned bread crumbs
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 pound pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (Tonight I used a mix of mozzarella and provolone)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into bread crumb mixture to coat.
3. Pour half of tomato sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle cheese over each breast, then bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and chicken is no longer pink inside.
   

BBQ without the grill

I've been craving bbq but since we don't have a grill (well the tiny george foreman grill doesn't really count) I decided to try shredded bbq chicken sandwiches in the crockpot. I love crock pot meals, especially on the weekend when I'd rather be out and about than cooking all evening. With a side of baked beans and corn on the cob it was a delicious summery meal!




Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken (made by Julia)

INGREDIENTS:

3 large chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar (any type)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
20-25oz bottled barbeque sauce (we used KC Masterpiece)

Place chicken, water, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and cumin in slow-cooker set on low. Cook for 6 hours. Drain juices. Shred chicken right in slow-cooker using two forks to pull it apart. Pour in barbeque sauce; stir to combine. Cook on low for an additional hour. Serve on buns with your choice of sides. Makes about 4-6 servings.

Easter Sunday, new beginnings

I love reading food blogs and despite my husband's teasing have decided to create one of my own, modest as it may be. It will be fun to chronicle our cooking (mis)adventures and look back on them later.

Easter Sunday we stayed busy in the kitchen. Well Tyler did most of the work and I cheered him on and took photos.




Garlic-Rosemary Roast Chicken with Potatoes (made by Tyler)

Recipe from a nestie whose name I cannot recall, when I googled this recipe it came up on the Viva Paper Towels website, which explains the constant recommendation to use paper towels in the directions!

In this variation, the jus is omitted and the potatoes roast in the flavorful drippings. The roasted garlic cloves can be spread on bread and eaten alongside the chicken.

Serves 3 to 4
Chicken and Brine

1/2 cup table salt
10 cloves garlic , unpeeled
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), giblets discarded

Garlic-Rosemary Paste

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or press through garlic press (2 teaspoons)
1/8 teaspoon table salt
ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing chicken

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes (2-inch), quartered
10 cloves medium-large garlic , unpeeled
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


1. FOR THE CHICKEN AND BRINE: Combine salt, garlic, and rosemary in zipper-lock bag; seal, pressing out air. Pound with meat pounder or rolling pin until garlic cloves are crushed. Transfer mixture to large container or stockpot and stir in 2 cups hot tap water; let stand 10 minutes to release flavors. Add 1 1/2 quarts cold tap water and stir until salt is dissolved. Submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set V-rack in small roasting pan and lightly spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.

3. FOR THE PASTE: Stir together rosemary, garlic, salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil in small bowl. Rub about 1 1/2 teaspoons of paste in cavity of chicken. Carefully loosen skin over breast and thigh on each side; slip half of remaining paste under skin on each side of breast, then, using fingers, distribute paste over breast and thigh by rubbing surface of skin (see illustrations 1 through 3, below). Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. Rub all sides of chicken with 2 teaspoons oil and season with pepper. Set chicken breast-side down on prepared V-rack and roast 15 minutes.

4. During first 15 minutes of roasting, toss potatoes, unpeeled garlic cloves, olive oil, and salt and pepper in medium bowl. After chicken has roasted 15 minutes, scatter potatoes and garlic in single layer in roasting pan; roast for another 15 minutes.

5. Remove roasting pan from oven; decrease oven temperature to 375 degrees. Using tongs or wads of paper towels, rotate chicken breast-side up; brush breast with 1 teaspoon oil and stir potatoes. Continue to roast until chicken is medium golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast and thigh registers about 160 and 175 degrees, respectively. Transfer chicken to large plate.

6. While chicken rests, transfer potatoes and garlic to large paper towel-lined plate and pat with additional paper towels. Carve chicken and serve with potatoes and garlic.


Asparagus sauted over medium heat in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper. (made by Julia)
























Strawberry-banana trifle. (made by Julia)
I suppose you would call this a "semi-homemade" dessert. I layered store bought angel food cake with vanilla instant pudding, cool whip, strawberries, and bananas. It gets soggy after sitting in the fridge overnight so it's best to make it and eat it promptly.